Elliott J. Frieze Warms Us Up

We almost walked right by the Charing Cross Hotel on our way to the Elliott J. Frieze show, as we'd gotten a little used to looking for someone holding an umbrella (On|Off's map of choice) to point us in the right direction.

But! Once inside, we followed tealight candles lining the staircase where we had been directed, the pathway to our destination, and arrived mid champagne reception to toast "putting the colour back in our cheeks."

It was not long before we all made our way into a room with a significantly different set-up. A labyrinth of a catwalk, laid out so that almost every guest could not only sit front row, but also have the opportunity to see each outfit from all angles.

As the models began to emerge it became clear exactly how much preparation had gone into the show, not only with the clothes, but with timing of the models crossing each other on the runway - made to look effortless while I am sure it was not!

Mr. Frieze had a very interesting use of corduroy, with high collars for men, high waists for women and natural colours to start things off.

The natural colour palette continued, flowing through different shades as we delved deeper into the collection. Creams became browns, browns moved into grey and ended in black.

Womenswear was sexy and accentuated the natural curve, with coats that moved almost as if in slow motion, like they do old movies when the hero is walking into the face of danger or away from a burning Bentley. While menswear encompassed brilliantly tailored pieces, with ties at the waist and padded shoulders. Some topped off with either a high collar or a scarf.

My favourite piece of the collection (you are all going to start thinking I am addicted to dresses which is only half true!) was a floor length grey gown, held with a wide black tie at the waist and teamed with a cropped black jacket (the only draw back to photographing it was the same the one throughout the show, and his green trousers could be spotted from every position in the room!).

The movement on the dress was amazing!

There was a significant scent of the sexy seventies (say that five times fast), with aviator sunglasses  and briefcases to boot and was figure flattering to say the least. The kind of style that makes you feel like a classy undercover detective when you wear it.

For these reasons I think Elliott J. Frieze's designs are a lot like his choice of venue.
Elegantly subtle - at a quick glance you could miss it, but if you take a minute to follow the candle of your curiosity, you might just find something unexpectedly wonderful.